Primary Fermentation of Mead
Once the must has cooled, it can be transferred to the primary fermentation
chamber. Waiting until the must is room temperature is especially important when
using glass jugs or carboys. The thermal shock from adding a hot liquid to a
cold glass container (or vice versa) can cause the glass to crack or shatter.

Before you pitch the yeast, add any remaining ingredients or adjuncts that your
recipe calls for. If the must has not been aerated previously thru pouring,
vigorous stirring, or shaking it should be done now. Dry yeast should be
activated to verify that it is viable and healthy before pitching it into the
mead. If using liquid yeast, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the
yeast has been pitched, mix the must and take gravity readings if you desire to
determine the starting gravity.

Seal the primary fermentation chamber with a fermentation lock or
blow-off tube.
The fermentation chamber should be moved to
a dark space where it will not be
frequently disturbed. Within 24 hours you should notice bubbles rising and the
airlock will be burping periodically. This indicates that the yeast are active
and are metabolizing the sugars in the honey.

As long as the yeast has access to oxygen it will reproduce. This is important
because we want a healthy yeast colony that will crowd out competing
microorganisms. Once the oxygen has been consumed, the yeast stop reproducing
and begins producing alcohol. Under normal circumstances, the

yeast will
continue to produce alcohol until all sugar has been metabolized out of the must
or until the alcohol level becomes greater than the yeast can tolerate.

Primary fermentation can take a few days or a few weeks depending upon many
factors. The amount of honey, temperature of the must, pH, nutrient level, and
yeast strain are just a few of the factors that influence how long the primary
fermentation lasts. Once the fermentation lock stops bubbling regularly it is
time to rack.